Wild Combat (One-Shot Collection)
by Light Flame Blast
Summary: Follow multiple wild pokemon as they fight for dominance and pride in their natural habitats with no humans around to interfere. Rated T for blood and occasional brutality.
1. Blazing Spirit (Blaziken vs Machamp)

**Blazing Spirit (Blaziken vs Machamp)**

The blaziken landed heavily on the ground before the cavern, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Embers sparked out of his legs and charred the grass around his feet as his wrists lit up in bright, furious flames. The fiery rooster glared into the cavern and let out a loud, defiant caw that echoed through the mountainous valley as his claws closed into determined fists. Today was the day.

For several moments, silence. Blaziken repeated his challenge with an even louder caw and spat out a gout of fire into the air. He planted his talons on the soil and crossed his arms, an annoyed snort slipping out of him as he waited.

Finally, a response came from within the cavern. A deep rumble shook the land and Blaziken's bones as the inhabitant moved from its position and slowly made its way outside.

Machamp, the humungous champion of the forest and strongest fighter in the area, walked out of his lair and growled down at the flaming bird that dared to defy his position. Unlike most of his kind, known for being fairly short, Machamp towered over Blaziken by almost half a meter. His sheer size and enormous amounts of muscle mass made him a living mountain of a pokemon, result from years and years of vigorous training and battling. The same years that had granted him the multiple battle scars littering his skin. He was old, but no less powerful than he had been during his prime.

Blaziken, however, didn't back down from the Champion's imposing glare; rather, his flames grew even brighter from his will to fight, the grass around him now freely burning from the intensity of his fire. He screeched his challenge a third time, itching to fight.

Machamp narrowed his eyes and crossed his four huge arms in thought, evaluating the arrogant youngster. Blaziken was clearly powerful, judging from the heat he emanated. The Champion had no doubt he knew how to use that power. To top it all, he was determined to win.

An interesting challenge indeed.

Machamp opened a fierce grin and pounded his chest with a fist, causing a loud thump. He then turned around and started walking towards his training grounds, beckoning the eager Blaziken over with his lower arms. He was briskly followed.

Within moments, the two pokemon, Champion and challenger, were standing on opposite sides of a large battlefield carved through the rocky terrain of the mountainside. Smaller dwellers had come to watch the battle from secure spots along the surface of the mountain. Mienfoo, machop, geodude, golem, meditite, all sorts of fighters and stone dwellers reunited to watch the battle about to unfold.

Machamp had his four arms crossed as he glared at Blaziken, who was across the field stretching, fire emanating from his crest. The Champion simply laced his two pairs of hands together and snapped his joints.

Once the fiery rooster was ready to begin, he took a deep breath and screeched defiantly across the arena, spewing a flame into the air. The Champion smirked and slammed a fist on his chest, before bellowing. The spectators echoed it with roars and cries of their own.

It then began.

Blaziken instantly planted his talons on the ground and burst forwards at unbeliavable speed, crossing the entire battlefield in less than five seconds. Flames freely blazed off his legs and charred the stone below, leaving brief trails of fire as he suddenly leapt towards the immobile figure of Machamp and threw his weight forwards for a devastating blazing kick to his chest.

The Champion grit his teeth and took on a defensive stance just in time to weather the massive blow head on. The kick barely budged the massive Machamp and the flames dispersed across his thick skin, and the fighter quickly threw a fist forwards to land a swift punch on Blaziken's briefly vulnerable guard.

The flaming bird gasped as the air was cleanly knocked out of his lungs and his body thrown away. He had the reflex to spread his body and roll along the ground once he fell, stopping halfway across the arena.

The spectators cheered at the succesful attack and celebrated the Champion's assumed victory, only to fall in silence as Blaziken suddenly jumped to his feet and cawed angrily, jets of flames shooting out out his wrists as he tensed and jumped.

Machamp looked up with narrowed eyes as his challenger flew straight across the battlefield and soared over his head, only to land gracefully right behind him. The Champion spun around in a fluid motion to chop towards Blaziken with his lower arms, only for the fire rooster to jump again.

Blaziken cawed as he used his momentum to strike a fire coated fist straight into Machamp's face, causing the huge fighter to stumble. The Champion reacted with blinding speed and met the following kick with an iron grip. Machamp yanked his opponent away and slammed him on the ground, before throwing a kick towards his ribs for good measure.

Blaziken narrowly managed to roll away from the kick before standing up fast enough to see Machamp chasing after him with clenched fists. The fiery rooster quickly recomposed himself to blast a huge stream of fire against his opponent to hold the Champion back.

The huge fighter grunted as the tongues of fire engulfed him, forced to shield himself with his four arms and back off from the intense heat. Blaziken shakily stood up while bathing Machamp in his raging inferno, decreasing the ones in his wrists to add on to the unrelenting assault.

The espectators were forced to back off as their Champion was engulfed in that enormous blaze, the heat becoming uncomfortable at that distance while the flames engulfed their vision in hot white. Machamp had stopped screaming. He seemed to have been lost in the growing inferno and succumbed to the might of the flames that roared hungrily against their target

Then, suddenly, a loud bellow filled the arena, surpassing the roars of the flames. The blackened figure of the juggernaut charged straight towards Blaziken, braving the inferno at a speed deceptive to his size. Blaziken gasped and tried to retreat, but a balled fist slammed hard into his gut and sent him crumpling to the ground, before a mighty kick hurled him away and onto the mountainside.

The powerful Machamp was panting and grunting in pain, shaking. He was covered in nasty looking burns that spread all over his chest and arms, which had mostly shielded his face. His entire body was charred, but the limbs had absorbed the worst of the damage.

Oddly enough, despite the heavy damage to his arms, the Champion looked somewhat bigger than before. The burns had triggered an adrenaline rush that only made him angrier and more dangerous the more he took hits. A complex web of muscle and veins bulged from within his skin, making him even stronger. Playtime was over.

Blaziken eyed the Champion from his spot in a daze, shocked at how well the fighter had taken such a massive hit. But he wasn't intimidated; no, if anything, this only made him more eager to win. His heart hungered for this challenge.

The fiery rooster struggled to stand, the devastating blows he took taking their toll on his body. But he wouldn't let up. He would come through.

Machamp silently watched as Blaziken got to his feet and emitted one more battle cry, before his entire body exploded in white flames as he unleashed all the power he had left. The Champion was forced to shield his eyes as the blazing inferno melted the rocky battlefield around the burning fighter and covered the entire arena in steam and smoke, heat waves freely blazing around.

The larger stone dwellers watching the match were forced to shield the smaller ones from the sheer heat coming from the battlefield, and even then they cringed. This was getting too dangerous.

The flames diminished until they surrounded Blaziken in a white blazing aura, and the fiery bird glared defiantly at the hulking form of the Champion, who had taken an aggressive stance and was currently tensing up.

In a blink of an eye, the two fighters clashed in the middle of the field. Blaziken screeched madly as he launched flurry after flurry of lightspeed kicks coated in white fire, too quick for the untrained eye to see. Machamp was silent as each of his four arms operated swiftly and smoothly like a well oiled machine, each darting forwards to block and counter each kick with precise chops and punches. Power, speed and experience clashed furiously to a stalemate, neither giving ground to the other. Blaziken's fire hurt the Champion badly, but also boosted his strength.

Eventually, however, the stalemate was broken.

Machamp's grip faltered for so much as a fraction of a second, and it was enough. One mighty kick slipped through his defenses and struck his chest with enough force to shatter a boulder into powder. The Champion had just enough time to throw one last chop against Blaziken's torso before being pushed away by the impact, skidding several meters back. Machamp dug his heels into the ground to steady himself, spitting some blood on the rocks before glancing up.

The broken, bleeding figure of Blaziken could barely stand as he glared at the Champion, his entire body engulfed in flames like a reborn phoenix. He knew for a fact he had broken bones, but the adrenaline kept him going. He knew this was it. He had to end this fight right now.

The fiery rooster reared his arms back and pumped every ounce of power he had left into one last, devastating strike, one that needed to get the job done. The fighter almost disappeared beneath the flames as they condensed over his body like a cloak of death. Blaziken took off, a burst of fire spreading after him as he rushed towards Machamp. The fiery rooster's screech was like a roaring fire as he crossed the field like a falling, blinding meteor.

The Champion narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he regarded the massive blow that was to come. He couldn't hope to dodge this. He would have to retaliate and hold the attack as best as he could.

Blaziken blasted forwards like a blazing rocket, intent on crashing against the powerful Champion with his inferno and finish the battle. He moved closer, closer, ready to strike-

An immense impact slammed into the fiery rooster and knocked the breath out of him as Machamp suddenly intercepted the devastating attack with his mighty four arms and utilized the momentum to launch them both into the air with a backwards jump, squeezing his burning opponent tightly. The sudden jerking didn't put the flames out, however, and Machamp took high up in a fireball before starting his way down like a comet, falling down with Blaziken firmly in his arms. The burning fighter screeched in anger and agony as he desperately tried to force his way out of that deadly grip, but Machamp barely budged.

A second before they landed, the Champion stretched his arms and slammed the fire bird straight into the ground, before crashing violently himself.

The world shook from the vicious impact as the earth shattered like glass and burst beneath the massive force deployed by the Champion, a heat wave blasting out of the humungous crater the living comet had caused. Debris and dust rained across the battlefield and many towards the spectators, who had to run or cover each other from the projectiles.

Only when the debris stopped falling and the earth ceased to crack could they come back to see what was left.

Most of the arena had been uplifted from the force of the blow, and a huge crater lay at the center. The bottom couldn't be seen, but the sounds of pained grunts and something hitting the rock soon filled the air.

Blaziken was lightly thrown out of the hole, his form a broken, bleeding mess of limbs. He had clearly broken several bones and had cuts littering his body, but the fire rooster was strong. He would survive.

Machamp climbed up with difficulty moments later, his four arms hooking him out of the crater like a spider. He shakily stood up and stared up at the crowd, panting. The fighter's body was in a terrible shape: several burns of varying intensities seared his body, as well as a plethora of cuts and bruises. His sheer bulk had prevented serious lasting damage, although one of his lower arms seemed to struggle to stay up. He staggered for a moment and was forced to his knees, panting.

Not long after, the Champion shakily got back to his feet and pumped his four fists into the air with a savage roar of victory, prompting the stunned crowd to snap to reality and bellow triumphantly at their Champion's win, shooting attacks into the air and cheering loudly for Machamp.

The old fighter was almost overwhelmed by their noise, but a tired grin was plastered on his face. He would never get tired of this.

He looked down at Blaziken. The young fighter had given him quite a challenge, one he wouldn't forget so soon. There was room for improvement, but the fiery bird was quite a powerful opponent. He would be sure to keep an eye on this young fighter. He could go far.

It didn't matter for the time being, however. Machamp pumped his fists once again, smirking. He was the true Champion of the Mountain. And that was sure to remain for years to come.

* * *

**Hello, and thank you for reading this far. This is the first chapter of a collection of one-shots involving pairs of pokemon fighting it out for whatever reason they may have. I intend on updating about once a week and I might accept requests, so long as it makes sense for these two pokemon to meet in the wild, meaning stuff like Glalie vs Magcargo isn't gonna happen.**

**Human trainers won't appear in this story, meaning the fighters won't know TM and Tutor moves unless given a specific reason to.**

**Thank you for reading! :)**


	2. Clash of the Titans(Aggron vs Tyranitar)

**Clash of the Titans (Aggron vs Tyranitar)**

A roar echoed throughout the mountain as the mighty green behemoth stomped his way across the landscape and devastated the forest in his wake, much to the distress of the peaceful dwellers. Tyranitar fumed as he roared out his frustration and swiped a sharp claw into a nearby tree, which ripped its roots out of the ground and sent it flying against the canopy of another tree several feet away, causing a flock of pidgey to scurry off from the danger.

The intruder looked like a living mountain of its own as he lumbered across the landscape, his massive stone armor camouflaging midst the vegetation as a long tail that more closely resembled a huge club thrashed restlessly behind him. Dents and scars littered his hide like medals of past struggles he had won with power and attitude. And power he had, evidenced by the razor sharp blades of fangs that protruded from his maw and the mighty claws at the end of each thick, muscular trunk the beast called arms, scarred and weathered by years of intense training.

Unfortunately for the forest dwellers, he evidently had attitude to spare as well.

Tyranitar slammed down a foot that shook the earth as he spewed a thin beam of energy into the sky, before crashing his tail into a boulder and shattering it. Another defiant roar only served to confirm what the forest critters already suspected: he was craving a challenge and would not stop his rampage until his thirst for violence had been satiated.

He didn't have to wait long. Seconds after his second roar, another deafening bellow echoed across the forest in a defying note of rage. Whatever it was, something big had accepted his challenge. Something powerful.

The green beast bared his fangs in satisfaction at the response and hastily swivelled around to start thrashing his way towards the source of the sound. The alpha of this territory had accepted his challenge, and he wouldn't miss out the opportunity no matter what got in his way.

Tyranitar rampaged through the woods with obsessive persistence, the trees and rocks crumbling beneath the juggernaut's mighty charge without slowing him down. It didn't take much longer before he finally came face to face with his foe, head whipping to regard the hill overhead as a roar came from above.

The enormous fortress of a pokemon stood at proud two meters in height, his shining steel armor glowing under the sunlight as icy blue eyes glared down at the intruder and metallic claws scraped together, producing a shower of sparks. Aggron, the Protector of the mountain, lowered his plated head as he shook the ground with a slam of his heavy tail, growling out a warning at the stone beast.

Tyranitar responded with a petulant snort and opened his maw to unleash a searing beam of dark energy towards the Protector, only to growl in shock as the massive dinosaur leaped at the last moment.

Aggron used the shockwave caused by the beam striking the hill to launch himself down towards Tyranitar, ramming his huge frame against the shocked intruder and knocking them both clear over the edge. Both titans rolled down the forested mountain, snarling furiously as they grappled and assaulted each other with their claws, crushing rocks and bushes on the way down and forcing critters to desperately run for their lives, lest be trampled by the armored beasts.

Their fall was eventually broken once they crashed violently into a particularly large and sturdy tree at the bottom of the mountain that just barely endured their weight and bent from the impact, causing both to grunt and wince, stunned. Tyranitar quickly snapped out of it, however, and gripped Aggron's sides to throw the protector from above him and across the clearer field before standing up, roaring.

Aggron growled and got to his feet as well, roaring defiantly. After so much damage caused to his forest and mountain, this insolent beast wouldn't leave unscathed. An insulting snort was the response he received, and the fighters took their positions on either side of the clearing.

Due to their almost unbreakable natural armor, both titans were mostly unharmed by the brutal fall as they charged towards each other with furious roars. Aggron lowered his head and rammed it against Tyranitar's abdomen to try puncturing the intruder with his horns, only to have his head gripped and parried by the green beast's mighty claws, who then proceeded to clamp his fangs into the Protector's neck and shake viciously, igniting them with searing flames.

Aggron's armor protected his neck from much harm, however, and the Protector snarled as he slammed both claws against Tyranitar's hide and forced the stone beast to stumble several feet backwards.

Tyranitar dug his heels into the grassy ground to stop himself and turned up to regard Aggron's vicious charge just in time to whip around and smash his tail against the iron beast's armored face with a vicious crunch, sending the Protector off tracks and onto the ground with a grunt. The blow actually cracked part of the Protector's facial plate, causing him to yelp and glare at the invader with murder in his eyes, some blood dribbling down his injured cheek. He responded by unleashing the most horrible screech Tyranitar had ever heard.

The agonizing sound of screeching metal actually hurt the stone giant, his ears ringing as he roared and thrashed in pain to shake it off, giving Aggron time to stand up and swipe his tail against the intruder. The blow struck the stunned beast straight on and sent him tumbling several feet away and into a tree, causing more birds and critters to flee in fear. The Protector wasn't done, however, and let out an earth shaking roar as several boulders of varying sizes broke off the mountainside and floated into the air, wobbling towards the invader.

With one stomp from the Protector, the boulders rained down on Tyranitar with crushing force, burying the intruder beneath their merciless assault and creating a large dome around the green beast, trapping him beneath the rock.

Aggron exhaled and shook his body as he suspiciously eyed the pile of boulders, knowing this would likely not be enough.

And indeed it was not. It took only a few seconds before the pile of boulders shook and crumbled as a thin beam of dark energy was fired from the beast's maw and blasted through the trap, striking Aggron dead on the chest. The iron behemoth snarled and slammed his tail on the ground to brace against the attack, but the stone monster wasn't letting up. Tyranitar rose from the remains of the boulders and stepped forwards with the beam locked onto his opponent's chest, continously pushing it back while stomping the ground to try getting him down.

The Protector, however, had other plans. The iron beast stood his ground defiantly, crossing his arms over his slowly searing chest and forming a smooth green forcefield over his body, effectively blocking the void energy. The shield held up strong against the assault, soon forcing Tyranitar to change strategies and stop his attack before he wasted too much energy.

Aggron snarled as the intruder suddenly smashed his tail into the mountainside and lifted a rain of debris and rocks from the ground, only to direct them towards the Protector. The iron beast stomped the ground and a large slab of rock jutted up to block the incoming blows, shattering both sides in the process. He then took control of the falling debris and sent them back to Tyranitar, roaring.

The stone giant growled and viciously tore at the debris with his claws and teeth, easily shattering each into powder. With a firm stomp of his massive foot, the ground beneath them exploded upwards with a mighty earthquake, uprooting several trees and boulders and knocking the Protector clear off his feet and a foot into the air before his enormous weight brought him down with a crash, leaving the iron beast stunned and grunting as he tried to gather his bearings.

Tyranitar took the chance to do a mad dash towards his adversary, crossing the now destroyed clearing with long steps and leaving grooves on his wake. The stone beast abruptly braked right before arriving at his foe and swivelled around in time to whip his tail violently against Aggron's side, snarling.

Unfortunately for him, the iron beast was faster; Aggron crossed his arms and weathered the blow enough for it to merely push him back, giving him time to stand up and lower his horned head before dashing once more while his foe recovered, just in time to actually sink his horns into the intruder's hide.

Tyranitar shrieked.

The stone beast writhed and roared in sheer agony as he was pinned back against a tree, which soon succumbed beneath the force of the titans. Aggron snarled as he kept pushing against Tyranitar, sinking his horns deeper into the armor to try finding flesh while furiously raking his claws across his enemy's body and leaving gashes along the hide.

He was forced to stop once electrified fangs sank into his neck and sent a surge throughout his metallic body, causing him to roar in pain as his muscles ached and twitched beneath the electricity, giving the stone beast just the needed strength to yank him away and throw him back.

Tyranitar growled as he pushed Aggron against the rocky mountain wall and stomped the ground, prompting a huge boulder to crack free, fly off the cliff and slam hard against the Protector's back, sending the iron beast down with a surprised snarl. The stone giant then stomped again and sent the boulder crashing right over the Protector's head, crushing it in thousands of shards against the giant's iron head.

To his shock, the shards stopped middair as they flew away and shot right towards his face, courtesy of Aggron's quick thinking. However, the stone titan replied in a flash by opening his huge maw and inhaling, before unleashing hellfire.

A thin beam of concentrated energy exploded from the intruder's mouth, the overwhelming heat intantaneously incinerating the assaulting rock shards and blowing through them.

The angle of the beam sent it against and through a lines of trees that had survived the battle. The energy easily blew holes through everything in its way and the heat set fire to the unfortunate vegetation, which soon escalated into a blazing forest fire . However, Tyranitar wasn't done.

He lowered his head and sent the beam of death straight against Aggron's now kneeling figure, causing the giant to screech in agony as he was blasted several feet away from the sheer power and crashed into the mountainside with a nasty burn to his chest, having failed to erect a protective shield in time. The explosion had melted part of his iron armor, and the Protector found himself weakening beneath his multiple injuries and the intense heat of the fires around.

Tyranitar growled and channeled all his pain and anger from the past minutes into a fistful of dark energy gathering in his claw, every negative emotion towards his opponent adding to the mass of darkness taking shape and sucking the light around it. He stomped forwards, unbothered by the harsh heat, and stood right before the fallen figure of Aggron, who was desperately struggling to rise and fight.

With a roar, Tyranitar brought down his thick arm covered in dark energy and hammered straight against Aggron's armored head.

Said armor was severely weakened by the previous blows, and the heat had only helped softening it and lowering its resistance. That, added to the humungous force of the blow, caused the arm to crush through the iron and strike Aggron's skull with a sickening crunch.

The Protector's snarls were silenced.

Tyranitar growled as he dislodged his hand from his foe's skull and yanked it out, causing blood to drip out from the corpse. The stone giant double checked with a kick, which earned no reaction.

The titan smirked savagely and let out a booming roar of triumph, stomping the ground viciously before finally collapsing to his knees. Aggron had been a wonderful fight. He was spent.

The beast sneered as he looked around at the blazing forest surrounding him, snorting. This was an inconvenience, but not his problem and not something that would stop him from going home. The water dwellers could solve it. For now he needed a rest.

Tyranitar slowly rose to his feet with pained growls, shaking the soot and blood off while lumbering his way out. He growled and snarled in satisfaction as he left the mountain, uncaring about the blaze that engulfed it.

* * *

**Second installment of the series, this time involving everyone's favorite pokemonic Godzilla. I hope you enjoyed the fight, and make sure to leave a review for suggestions and criticism.**

**Speaking of which, I would like to ask for those reading to make your reviews relevant to the content of the story, please. I don't want to get involved in this pointless review war more than I need to, so please, don't write reviews debunking other reviews or insulting reviewers. You will be readily blocked.**

**See you next time!**


	3. Lurking Shadows (Chandelure vs Dusknoir)

**Lurking Shadows (Chandelure vs Dusknoir)**

The scyther had died minutes before.

After a brutal fight for leadership with a fellow member of its kind, the giant mantis had taken a fatal wound to the chest that quickly took its toll on his body. The bug type had emitted one last cry of outrage after hours of pain and blood loss, before finally succumbing to his injuries and letting the embrace of death carry him away from the agony. He hoped to be in good hands; the Guardian of Souls was usually wandering the woodlands assuring the peaceful rest of the warriors. His cry had been one to let the Guardian locate him.

Unfortunately, it also alerted a less amicable entity.

The one known as the Devourer of Souls.

The flickering flames of the chandelure danced through the dusk as the lamp-like phantom lumbered her way towards her prey, having tracked the distinctive feeling of death across the woodlands. Her flaming arms brushed the leaves and branches of the tress without affecting them, not without Chandelure's consent. She needed the trees. Trees brought life.

Life fed her.

Chandelure could see the scyther now. Lying limp against a tree with coagulated blood seeping from a fresh wound to its chest. She could feel that the body was still warm. And so was its life force, faded but certainly still present. Perfect.

The Devourer made her way to the dead mantis and slowly stretched her tendrils forwards to wrap them around the scyther and ensnare her victim tightly, before carefully lifting the body and bringing it closer to her flaming core, feeling its soul flicker in protest.

She lifted the body right over her head, letting it hover closer to her flame.

And just then, something hammered down hard against her face, causing her to gurgle in surprise through the glass dome on her face as she was hurled away into the treeline from the impact, dropping her victim in the process.

Chandelure used her arms to raise and steady herself, a hollow grunt echoing in the chamber of her head as she glared up at the newcomer, having already guessed who it was.

Dusknoir, the Guardian of Souls. The huge, ghostly cyclop floated some feet over the scyther with his muscular arms crossed the face pattern on his chest. He glared down at the recovering Chandelure with hispiercing red eye, emitting a quiet growl for her to stand back.

When she simply rose her flames and bowed to him, he already knew their ethernal dance had once again begun.

The Guardian growled as a spectral aura coated his fist, before pumping it forwards into a massive punch that shot towards Chandelure. The Devourer giggled in delight in response and tilted her head to blast the shadow fist with spectral fire, holding the attack easily. She then lashed an arm and sent a series of fireballs at her opponent, a sickening grin spread across her glassy face.

Dusknoir grunted and promptly sunk into the shadows to avoid the attack, his huge body engulfed by a veil of darkness. The Guardian smoothly floated along the dark void, swimming through the darkness with his antenna tingling to guide him to his target.

However, said target had almost as much sensitivity to the darkness as he had. As soon as Dusknoir shot out of the shadows, Chandelure's tendrils lashed out and ensnared him in their bindings, sending a searing pain through his body as she spurred her flames into getting hotter and hotter. The Guardian let out a haunting bellow that rivaled his nemesis' cackle as he struggled against the restraints and glared at the Devourer, before his stomach opened up.

The Void inside immediately pulled at the Devourer, causing her to hiss and blast it with spectral fire that, as predicted, was absorbed by her rival's stomach. While she furiously tried to float away from the suction, Dusknoir managed to snap her arms from him and summon a shadowy orb between his hands, thrusting it forwards.

The impact was enough to send the Devourer skidding backwards with a pained whimper, the force so much it bypassed the suction effect and slammed her into a tree. Chandelure hissed and prompted her core to reform the lost tendrils with ghostly energy as Dusknoir fired a series of dark orbs at her.

The Devourer lowered her head and spun madly as she unleashed her blaze upon the assault, bathing the shadow balls with intense spectral flames and snuffing each of them out with the sheer heat. The fire kept forwards towards the Guardian, who promptly sped into the sky to avoid it.

However, Chandelure's newly regenerated arms swung upwards and ordered the fire to twist. The purple flames abruptly switched directions and blasted upwards at high speed, colliding with Dusknoir and causing a small explosion as it made contact.

The Guardian screeched in agony as he was engulfed in flames, howling while desperately thrashing to put the fire out. As he flailed and tried to call upon the cold, he failed to see the arcs of spectral energy crossing the evening sky and striking him, sending him spiralling out of control and crashing hard against the treetops, where he lay unmoving.

Chandelure cackled in delight at the succesful attacks, though she grunted as her own injuries forced her to prod herself up by her tendrils. Nevertheless, the Devourer of Souls made her way back to where her prey had been left, the scyther's soul a narrow flickering ember within its flesh prison as she watched it with her otherworldly perception. It would be enough.

The Devourer wrapped her tendrils around the mantis and quickly brought the body up to her flaming core before Dusknoir could get back up. The corpse itself was unharmed as it passed through the flames, but its soul flickered and contorted as it was burned away and fed the undying fire with a quiet hiss.

Chandelure giggled at the sound, basking at the feeling of satiated hunger. She liked to imagine the hisses were her prey screaming as they were burned. It was amusing.

The howl that followed snapped her out of her thoughts, however.

Faster than she could have possibly predicted, a rejuvenated Dusknoir sped his way out of the shadows and smashed his spectral fist viciously into her face, sending the Devourer flying away and crashing into a large tree, a huge crack forming on her glass chamber as she screeched in pain.

The Guardian glanced down at the scyther and scanned the body for the soul he was supposed to be guarding. He felt none. He had failed this time.

That was enfuriating.

Dusknoir let out a howl of pure rage as he darted towards the stunned Chandelure and slammed another spectral fist to her face, causing the Devourer to hiss in agony and lash out with her tendrils to whip her opponent with tongues of fire.

The ghostly cyclops backed off at that, only to melt into the shadows once more to avoid a sneaking ghostly ball. However, his attempt to emerge behind Chandelure and strike her were cut short when he found the Devourer engulfed in a roaring vortex of flames, effectively shielding her.

The Guardian growled and opened his stomach to attempt sucking the flames in, only for Chandelure to abruptly fire a shadow ball at him, the spectral energy unaffected by the suction. Dusknoir quickly threw his arm out with yet another shadowy punch that blocked the orb.

Seizing the opportunity, Chandelure laughed and slowly waved her arms and body about, floating in a lulling pace while emitting soft blinking lights from her core, which caught Dusknoir's single red eye. The Guardian stopped his attempts, arms slowly dropping to the sides as his gaze followed each movement of the lights, hypnotised. Vulnerable.

The Devourer narrowed her eyes as she built up pressure within her core, forcing her freshly acquired energy to pump up the heat and brew an intense attack to finish this fight. One that would leave the pesky Guardian incapacitated for weeks before he could pester her again.

Unfortunately for her, Dusknoir's antenna tingled furiously in response to the growing energies of the area. The cyclops, despite the strong influence of Chandelure's alluring trap, forced himself to snap out of it, his single eye regaining focus to regard the raging inferno forming inside his nemesis.

The Guardian acted quickly, using his reserves of energy to summon spectral ice over his fists and coat them with sheer cold, before smashing them on the ground so the frost could spread over the area, his power trying to counter the rising temperatures. At the same time, he melted into the shadows once again in a desperate attempt to avoid the chaos about to unfold, diving into the seas of darkness.

He hadn't counted on the power boost Chandelure had received.

As soon as he sunk, Dusknoir snarled as he was suddenly tangled up in dozens of dark tendrils, seemingly lashing out from every direction into the dark to whip and restrain him. The Guardian howled in rage and immediately took to ripping every binding he could with spectral orbs and punches, energy blasts, his stomach mouth. All proved fruitless, as he was dragged up to the surface once again by the cackling Devourer, her arms sunken into the darkness to command the tentacles.

The heat was unbearable by this point, and Dusknoir found himself groaning and panting in exhaustion. He could barely see Chandelure through the steam caused by the contact of the heat and the frost, only the flickering flame that grew further and further. The tendrils were burning through his skin without mercy, and the Guardian couldn't gather the power to fight back any longer.

Chandelure emitted one last maniac hiss before lowering her head and finally letting loose.

Hellfire exploded from her core and burst straight into the injured Dusknoir, dousing him in impossibly hot flames. The white hot tongues of fire spread and danced through the clearing as the flare spiralled out of control and swiftly melted every rock and piece of vegetation, and the trees that made it through the immediate inferno lit up on fire. The Guardian's howl of agony was drowned out by the roaring blaze, the smoke covering the entire landscape as the Devourer ceased her attack.

Chandelure shivered in exhaustion as she allowed herself to float a little closer to the ground and her tendrils to shrink in order to conserve energy. The Devourer of souls groaned quietly as she lumbered forwards and used her perception to scan her surroundings for Dusknoir.

Much to her delight, all she could find of her rival's body was stray spectral molecules floating aimlessly along the air. Chandelure giggled in utter glee at that, having been in enough fights with Dusknoir to know he would probably take weeks to reform from such a state, maybe a month. Until then, she would be free to devour the souls of whoever she pleased. And then he would return, and their dance would begin again.

But now she needed to put out the fire she had so carelessly started. The Devourer of Souls started into the woods to start absorbing the flames, knowing full well about the consequences should she neglect the task.

Life needed to be preserved in order to be taken away.

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**I strayed a little from Chandelure's traditional powers here, but I personally liked this one. Make sure to give me your thoughts!**


	4. Lords of the Sea (Gyarados vs Kingdra)

**Lords of the Sea (Gyarados vs Kingdra)**

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Deep within the waters of the darkest pit, the draconic monarch shifted from her slumber.

The freezing waters of the depths didn't bother the kingdra; in fact, they lulled her. The gentle water flowing along her smooth blue scales and the silence of her cavern was usually enough to relax her into sleeping after a day of hunting. Today, however, she was interrupted from her rest.

A sound woke the queen of the deep from her sleep, a sound that would go undetected by most creatures or merely shaken off as trivial. But there was no mistake for the dragon's experienced ears; it was a warning. A distress signal from a seadra she knew very well.

Another echo joined the first within seconds. And then another. And one more. Her young were in danger.

Kingdra maneuvered out of her cavern and darted out towards the source of the signals faster than a torpedo, the resulting ripples enough to cause small whirlpools wherever the aquatic monarch sped by. The azure dragon had her sharp eyes locked forwards and the beginning of a draconic pulse of energy forming on the tip of her snout as she rapidly swam upwards, easily braving the crushing waters trying to weigh her down.

Like all kingdra, the queen of the depths lived a solitary life deep down in the sea, where she could find prey big enough for her appetite and tranquility to rest. The school of horsea and seadra she mothered lived near a big coral reef, in shallower waters, where the pressure and food were more suited for their needs. The juvenile seadra were skilled, but they always called upon their mother when faced with predators too formidable for their might.

And she was more than happy to aid them.

Kingdra took little more than two minutes to near the coral reef, and her sharp red eyes immediately noticed something was wrong. Even from afar, the dragon could see the vermillion shade of blood dispersing across the waters, floating down onto the sea of coral, and flashes of blue energy across the horizon as something big moved about. The Queen was starting to suspect-and dread-what she would be up against.

The dread vanished from her mind mere seconds later, replaced by the hard impact of reality as Kingdra abruptly braked, staring down at the nightmare lying idly between the coral.

Five husks that had once been her young horsea was all that was left of them; charred, mangled carcasses huddled together in a molten pile, as if the trio had tried to flee together. Their heads and tails stuck out in a tangled dance of bodies, but little could be told apart. A few of their young siblings were swimming around the corpses with curious eyes, as if trying to wake them up. The small horsea looked confused by their siblings' condition, clearly not quite understanding the gravity of the situation as they looked up at Kingdra and trilled greetings to their mother.

The dragon briefly hovered above her young's bodies, solemnly paying her respects for the unfortunate creatures. But as much as it pained her, this was no time for mourning. The rest of her young would end up worse if she didn't move.

And so, the Queen rumbled for the horsea to hide and darted as fast as she could to where she knew the fight had strayed to, judging from the wreckage of coral and similar scorching marks littered along the way. It seemed like her seadra herd had taken the aggressor down into the massive crevasse near their home, where no further harm could be done to the coral reef.

Once she arrived at the scene, she finally saw what they were fighting, and it certainly didn't make her relieved.

Four of the five seadra of her herd were desperatey swimming around the crevisse trying to avoid frenzied attacks while delivering weak draconic streams of their own that merely washed off the scales of the humungous beast, doing little more than annoying it.

A massive gyarados was their target and attacker, even larger than the average of the species. Its serpentine body stretched along the crevisse for over 9 meters, coiling and uncoiling violently as the monster viciously snapped its sabre-like fangs at the agile seadra with frightening dexterity, constantly moving and breathing dragon fire at them. Its furious roars shook the ocean as it thrashed, occasionally slamming its gargantuan tail on the rocky walls and causing showers of debris that harmlessly bounced off its thick scales.

The Queen darted towards the fight like a blue torpedo, eyes narrowed to slits as she readied an orb of draconic energy on the tip of her snout. Gyarados spotted the light by a glance, but didn't have time to react before the torquoise orb struck his scales and pushed him back, sending the sea serpent crashing against the cliffside with a pained roar, more debris sinking around them.

Kingdra steamed furiously as she placed herself between the monster and her juvenile herd, snorting at them. The four seadra nodded and sped off back to the coral reef to gather the surviving horsea and get them to safety.

Gyarados soon pulled himself out of the wall and glared at the Queen with bloodthirsty eyes, his tongue running over his lips as he glared at the much smaller dragon. His lips and teeth were coated in fresh blood from the one seadra that hadn't been fast enough, whose lower half was slowly floating into the abyss. Some horsea had met a similar fate; but he wanted more. He would crush this insolent midget with his jaws and rip her apart, and then he would set the rest ablaze.

The monster roared out his wrath as he suddenly sprang forwards and snapped his jaws at Kingdra, only to swallow water as the dragon effortlessly danced out of the way. She then sent another blast of dragon power at the back of his head.

Gyarados narrowly dived beneath the attack before whipping around and bathing the sea with a stream of dragon fire, roaring as he furiously assaulted the Queen and used his massive body to try slamming into her.

While Kingdra was able to dive beneath the fire, she was violently struck by the tail and hurled away far into the ocean water. The dragon snorted out some blood as she flapped her fins to straighten herself, just in time to see Gyarados charging at her with murder in his eyes and dragon fire in his gaping mouth, blasting her furiously.

The Queen deftly dived beneath the monster and swam swiftly along his serpentine body as it soared above her. Her sharp eyes locked onto their target and she fired a blast of high pressurized water straight into a gap between the sea serpent's thick scales, earning a pained roar as Gyarados violently jerked and twisted to snap his jaws at her.

Kingdra replied by breathing a focused stream of dragon fire straight into the monster's mouth before darting away, though the momentum caused Gyarados to glance against her plates and send her stumbling deeper into the crevasse, stunned.

The Queen snorted again and glared up at Gyarados, his form a writhing dark shape against the brighter waters above. The sea serpent bellowed out another challenge and took to chase the dragon, but this time he was more careful. She noticed blood was freely flowing out of his mouth and one of his lower fangs was missing. She had actually done some damage.

Gyarados dove after the Queen with an outraged roar, hissing as he took in a deep breath and belched an enormous wall of water at the kingdra, which she countered by blasting a torrent of her own, far more precise and enough to parry the blast. The serpentine beast wasn't done, however, and Kingdra rumbled in surprise as a massive blue tail lashed out from the wall of steamy water and hooked around her, before tightening up and firmly pinning her between its coils while Gyarados leaned closer, seething with rage.

Kingdra snorted an rumbled furiously as she thrashed against the crushing coils of her opponent, her plated scales just barely strong enough to resist the immense pressure as the monster came closer and spewed another stream of dragon energy that washed over the Queen's injured body and burned her scales, causing her to wail out in pain and fire another water blast to weather the attack.

The Queen struggled under her bindings, taking a breath with difficulty and rumbling as she stirred further dragon energy from within her, commanding it into a thin aura that enveloped her body.

Gyarados growled in shock as his far smaller opponent abruptly doubled in force and shook viciously, managing to squeeze through his coils and take off like a missile, ramming into his jaw with devastating force before managing to swim away with renewed stamina, away from the gigantic serpent that furiously thrashed and contorted to recover from the massive blow.

The two opponents bellowed challenges to each other as they swam circles across the water, each blasting the other with ranged attacks. Kingdra had the agility and reflexes to elegantly avoid most of the blasts of water and dragon fire; Gyarados had the endurance and moxie to withstand hers and keep fighting.

The Queen narrowed her eyes once a blast of water missed Gyarados and hit the cliffside behind him, causing an eruption of dust and shards of stone that harmlessly rained down on the creature. That gave her an idea.

She couldn't develop it, however, as Gyarados suddenly jerked his head back and formed an orange orb of energy in his mouth. Kingdra barely had time to register the change and prepare her retaliation before a flash burst from the monster's throat and a thin white beam of pure power was blasted towards her. The technique was so powerful it straight up evaporated the water in the way towards the Queen, causing a cloud of steam.

Fortunately, the dragon managed to avoid the initial blunt of the blast, swimming away right as it exploded against the cliffside and melted the boulders, causing more rocks to fall. Kingdra was forced on the defensive, deftly maneuvering around the falling boulders or blasting them with pulses of dragon fire as Gyarados chased after her with the deadly beam, roaring while blasting the cliffside continously to try and hit the Queen.

Within seconds, half of the cliff crumbled beneath the sheer power of the beast, an avalanche of rocks burying the fighters beneath the dust. Both desperately swam away from being crushed, but some boulders actually scored hits and forced Gyarados to spout yet another searing beam to counter the incoming boulders.

Kingdra glared at the invader, her proud chest rising and falling with strain as blood flowed from the long cuts on her back and tail. Not only that, but the sheer heat of the beam had seared a good portion of her underside. She was reaching her limits, this clearly couldn't go on for much longer.

Gyarados wasn't in a much better shape. Slower, he hadn't managed to dodge the avalanche so well. The monster was shaking and grunting in pain as its body twitched from his wounds, the boulders having slammed into his back and splintered into his scales. His body had numerous cuts and bruises and his mouth still bled from the missing fang. The worst, however, was the energy wasted on the beams. His stamina wasn't endless, and this worthless worm had injured him too much already. It was time to try out one last trick.

Kingdra found herself slowly being sucked in as Gyarados started coiling his massive body, sparks flying off of him as he used his remaining dragon energy to create a vacuum. The monster spun in place as a whirlpool formed between his coiled body, draconic sparks running through the water as the small storm pulled the Queen in.

Kingdra wasn't about to let herself fall into the trap, however; the Queen shut her eyes and concentrated the draconic power within herself, a raging storm roaring to be let free. The tempest writhed as she spurred it into action, forcing the power out.

Kingdra let out a loud bellow as she breathed out the largest amount of dragon fire she could muster and spewed it at Gyarados' twister, causing the beast to roar in shock and writhe away from the attack. The dragon didn't let up, flapping her injured fins rapidly to condense the energy into a swirling whirlpool and hurl it forwards.

Kingdra' draconic twister overpowered Gyarados' and added it to its own magnitude, the powerful whirlpool raging deep into the crevasse and engulfing the sea serpent before he could think of escaping.

Gyarados roared in pain as whips of water and energy crashed against his scales and tossed him from side to side like an overgrown toy, not giving him time to retaliate. The sea serpent felt his thick armor slowly shatter beneath the incessant assault of the roaring storm, which kept growing and spiralling until the beast was stuck in the very middle.

Kingdra had her eyes shut in concentration as she commanded the twister to brush against the other side of the crevasse. The whirlpool easily shattered the cliffside and caused another avalance of dust and boulders that crashed down towards it. The vacuum sucked most of the debris to the middle of the storm and caused it to crash into the thrashing Gyarados continously, although many broke apart or melted.

The sea beast tried to fire another searing beam, but he was far too weak. He thrashed his tail and head in agony in a desperate attempt to swim beneath the twister, to no avail. He could only let himself caught more and more engulfed by the unrelenting tempest, too weak to properly fight back.

Kingdra suddenly held her breath and abruptly ended the twister, dispelling the draconic energy and releasing the fatally wounded Gyarados into stumbling against the falling cliffside.

The beast roared in agony as tons of boulders crashed down on his body, the sheer size and amount of them more than enough to crush his fragilized body. Gyarados wailed and writhed as he was carried down into the depths by the avalanche, until his form disappeared beneath the rubble and the song of death was muted by the deafening crashing of the collapsing cliff.

And he was gone.

Kingdra lowered her head once the ordeal was over, allowing herself to finally collapse. The Queen of the Seas was panting and wheezing from the stress she had forced upon her body, barely able to think clearly through the pain and exhaustion. She was still bleeding from her wounds, the vermillion blood flowing along the water around her.

Only when she heard the collective call of the four remaining seadra swimming closer did she finally let herself to fully relax, trusting her young to lead her to safety. Her body would heal; long scars would remain as proof of the dangerous foe she had defeated, scars shared by the cliff their sheer power had helped ravaging. But the threat of the gyarados was over, crushed beneath a mountain of rocks.

The Queen of the Sea would take a long time to recover from the battle. But at least she had managed to save her herd from being completely slaughtered, even if several had perished.

The price had been high, but their survival had been ensured. That thought was a slight comfort to Kingdra as she drifted into unconsciousness, carried away in the safety of her young.

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**As always, make sure to review. **


	5. Survival (Cacturne vs Sandslash)

**Survival (Cacturne vs Sandslash)**

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Life wasn't fair in the desert.

Between the harsh climate and the plethora of predators running around, the barren landscape was a daunting task for any kind of pokemon to live in.

Nevertheless, they adapted. The ones burdened with the desert as their birth place were changed by the cruelty of nature, growing hardened, merciless and ready-no, desperate, to do anything to ensure their own survival. The life of another not a priority; it was a liability.

In the case of the lone creature digging its way through the coarse sand, however, it was a necessity.

Razor sharp claws poked out of the ground, followed by a mass of hard quills and the shifting muzzle of the sandslash that franctically sniffed the air for any signs of nearby water. The rodent hadn't managed to find water for several days, and although her physiology was well adapted to fare in such conditions, she was beginning to weaken. No rivers, no underground streams, no rain that she could drink from. Which meant there was only one way she could hydrate by this point. A way she would rather avoid.

She would have to kill a cacturne. The cactus-like beasts were dangerous predators that roamed the desert at night, often banding together to ambush prey and kill them. Nevertheless, their bodies were great at holding water; if the rodent managed to kill one of them, she would likely have enough to drink.

Sandslash lowered her quills as she finally caught a scent in the air, before burrowing into the sand once more and rushing towards the source, hoping she wouldn't be too late. If the sun had already set by the time she arrived, things would get even more complicated.

The rodent slashed through the sand for some minutes before starting her way up and stopping when she was mere feet from the surface. Her ears twitched as he stood still, trying to listen to the vibrations above. She could tell through her ground affinity that the target was standing right above her as expected.

To her dismay, however, it seemed to be awake and active, its body stirring above the sand and slowly roaming in circles as if stretching after its slumber.

Too late to back off. She needed that water.

Sandslash sunk her claws into the sand and channeled her earth powers to shift the soil beneath the target's feet, splitting the sand in two to lunge upwards with a fatal strike of her claws.

The rodent squeaked in surprise when her swipe struck nothing but air and ended up overextending her claws, wobbling awkwardly for a moment before being violently hammered in the side, sharp spikes puncturing her rough skin. Sandslash huffed as she rolled against the ground and sunk her claws into the sand to stop the momentum, growling at her opponent while snatching the spikes out of her flank.

The cactus-like creature's bright yellow eyes glowed brightly against the darkening desert as he rose to his full height, standing at over five feet tall, remarkably tall for his kind. The cacturne gurgled aggressively at the rodent as his spikes extended menacingly. Sandslash merely hissed back as she rose her own spines and bared her claws, not letting herself be intimidated by the display.

Cacturne scoffed in response to the intimidation attempt, glaring down at the offending rodent. He was hungry and ready to hunt, but this little critter had been kind enough to offer herself as his meal. Those sharp claws would be a problem, but nothing he couldn't handle. The biggest threat was her desperation for water, the only reason he could think of for a carnivore to attack him. She would be ruthless. But so would Cacturne.

Sandslash sprung into action with a hiss, a cloud of sand flying up as she burst into a sprint and charged at her opponent, running in a zigzag pattern before leaping at the plant and swiping her claws at him.

Cacturne responded without much effort, following the rodent's movements and raising his arms to parry the lethal blow with his spikes. The cactus proceeded to push Sandslash off and followed up with a barrage of sharp needles. The rodent managed to curl up into her quills to avoid getting hurt by them, landing on the sand heavily and swiftly burrowing again.

Cacturne gurgled angrily as he extended his spikes and felt the ground beneath him, before breaking into a sprint right as another pitfall collapsed under his feet and Sandslash jumped out. The cactus took the chance to fire off an array of spikes that the rodent easily dodged by burrowing back into her trap, hissing.

There were no more attacks for some moments, the rodent having seemingly disappeared. Cacturne hissed and crouched to try and feel the vibrations, preparing another barrage should his prey emerge.

The cactus beast didn't have to wait long.

Cacturne gurgled out loud as the ground abruptly exploded underneath him and a mighty shockwave blew him clear off the ground and several feet into the air with tons of sand and debris flying along, before gravity reclaimed its position and violently forced him down while debris buried him in a sandcastle of sorts.

Sandslash poked her head out of the ground to witness the destruction she had caused, sniffing the air to locate her adversary between the rubble. She soon felt the distinct scent of vegetation and promptly pounced at one of the newly formed dunes, digging through the layers of sand for what she assumed would be the finishing blow.

As she dug into the sand, the rodent let out a surprised squeal as an arm erupted from the sand and stabbed her side, before Cacturne crashed through the dune with a furious gurgle as he grappled with Sandslash and burst out of the sand, slamming her violently to the ground. The rodent hissed as she clawed into his arms and managed to tear into the tissue, kicking at the cactus before rearing back to breathe, hissing loudly.

Cacturne hissed right back as he followed after the retreating rodent and fired off more spikes, before lashing out with brutal flails of his arms to trip his enemy and force her down.

Sandslash grunted as she was pushed down, only to plunge her claws into the sand and burrow once again, hurling sand into Cacturne while digging deep underground.

Cacturne gurgled and concentrated, sinking his feet into the sandy ground and burrowing his roots deep in. The cactus managed to root himself to the ground right as another earthquake, even more vicious than the previous one, shook the world around him, wracking the land with tremors as the dunes surrounding them collapsed and raised a sand cloud that spread high into the air. But Cacturne stood firm, wobbling but not falling.

He gurgled in surprise as Sandslash suddenly burst out of the ground before him and tore into his chest with a strike of her claws, causing the cactus to snarl out in pain. Cacturne took the opportunity to lash out and crash his spiky arm into the rodent's face, gurgling at the feeling of his spikes stabbing flesh.

Sandslash squeaked as she was sent stumbling away, falling to the ground with a hiss while carefully clutching her injured face, the searing pain leaving her stunned. She could see from the corner of her healthy eye Cacturne clutching his chest as sand and water bled out of his wound, and he then glared furiously at the offending rodent.

Sandslash let go of her face to desperately curl up into her quills as another barrage of spikes showered over her carapace and bounced off, a few lodging in the gaps between quills and earning pained grunts from the ground type. Sandslash replied in kind, exhaling and firing several quills at Cacturne.

The cactus grunted in pain as some quills punctured him, staggering back while forcing his body to regenerate the damaged tissue, managing to somewhat contain the bleeding on his chest.

He was left vulnerable, however, as more quills struck his flank, causing him to gurgle in pain as the pins sunk deep into his body. As Sandslash rose from the sand, Cacturne snapped the quills off and braced himself, seething.

The rodent was slower than before, no thanks to the large gash spread across the left side of her face, just shy of her eye, and the small wounds on her side. She was still a formidable runner, though, and crossed the terrain within seconds to once again clash claws against spikes, following with several swift strikes.

The combat lasted for several moments, with Sandslash's sharp claws and fast attacks constantly parried by Cacturne's resilient spikes and reflexes, added to his superior strength. The rodent slashed, backed off, jumped, stabbed, while the cactus blocked, jabbed, and swung in return.

Cacturne's movements grew slower over time, his reflexes getting more sluggish. The cactus gurgled angrily as he swung a reckless blow towards Sandslash, but this time he was too slow.

The rodent, although weakened and tired by her injuries and days of dehydration, still managed to duck under the careless blow and jabbed her claws into Cacturne's knee, stabbing right through the tissue, before trying to rear back as sand cascaded out of the wound.

The cactus screeched in fury as he collapsed to his knees, reflexively firing off a flurry of spikes at his opponent. Sandslash squealed and stumbled as the pins struck her chest, swiftly punished with a vicious sucker punch to the chin that lifted her off her paws and buried her into a fallen dune with a grunt.

Cacturne gurgled and hissed as he desperately tried to cover his wound, though he couldn't get himself to regenerate the tissue as well as usual. As he looked down at his body, he hissed at the purple shades surroundings the spots the quills had struck earlier. The damned rodent had pumped poison into him.

Sandslash, albeit absolutely miserable under all the wounds and bruises littering her body, wasn't about to give up on her prey. The rodent let out an enraged hiss as she charged as fast as her exhausted legs allowed and leaped at the cactus, only to curl up into a spiky ball at the last couple meters and ram into him, the momentum driving her sharp quills right into Cacturne's chest and earning an agonized screech from the cactus as they were launched several feet away and into the sand, toppling over.

Cacturne hissed and viciously tossed the rodent overhead as he landed, before clutching his chest in agony as his sandy blood poured out, his vision blurring with each passing moment as he gurgled miserably, barely able to stand.

The cactus wobbled to his feet and glared at the rising Sandslash with burning rage, clasping his arms together and lighting up the desert with a bright green light as an orb of pure grass energy formed between the appendages, growing in shape and power as Cacturne poured more and more effort into it, until it was half his size and burning hot to the touch.

If he had to die, so would this pest.

The rodent squeaked as she stared death right in the eye, for a moment freezing before that humungous surge of energy aimed for her. Realising she had to act, however, Sandslash hissed and braced herself, claws outstretched and teeth grit as she fought through her numerous injuries.

Cacturne fired the orb at her.

The landscape exploded with a thunderclap as the pent up energy burst into a blinding green flash, blowing the desert up and sending showers of debris raining upon the land as the concussive force ravaged the field, leaving a smoking crater where it had hit.

Cacturne collapsed on what was left of the area, absolutely spent from the effort. He gurgled quietly and shut his eyes, feeling the last remains of energy fading away as more sand and some water came out of his wounds. At least his goal had been accomplished: he had pulverised the rat with his blast, and this was comforting...

The cactus beast didn't live enough to see the ground shifting and Sandslash breaking through the sand with a gasp, battered, scorched and exhausted, but alive. Her desperate digging had saved her from the worst of the blast.

The rodent shivered as she crawled towards Cacturne and raised her claws, before stabbing him once more just to make sure he was dead. Satisfied, Sandslash shakily flipped him over and finally leaned in to drink what was left of water in her opponent, shuddering in bliss as the replenishing liquid wet her throat.

In her frantic drinking, she failed to notice the three figures approaching from her sides, spikes outstretched as they crept on the weakened rodent and gurgled quietly.


	6. Royal Rage (Nidoking vs Venusaur)

**Royal Rage (Nidoking vs Venusaur)**

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Nidoking had evolved few hours ago.

Born a natural fighter, the young nidoran had been quick to evolve into a nidorino, and from then he had valiantly fought his way through the rankings of his pack and beaten the alpha nidorino into submission, becoming the powerful leader of the pack. Large and strong, Nidorino was a well known figure in the grasslands, bearer of a fierce protective instinct that discouraged any outsider from getting rowdy towards his pack or any other pokemon he had under his care. While not quite the strongest pokemon, everyone respected his power and authority.

Hence, when a Moon Stone shard was dug up the previous day, he was the natural choice to utilize it. A big meeting took place in the area the pack lived in, several pokemon wanting to witness the rare phenomenon of a stone induced evolution; those were exceptional out here in the wild, especially after humans had started taking fragments away.

All of the expectators left the area in a desperate and confused rush once the newly evolved Nidoking unexpectedly flew into a furious rampage minutes after forming.

Hours afterwards, the purple behemoth had left a trail of destruction in his wake. Uprooted trees, smashed boulders, poisoned grass, injured pokemon, and his rage didn't seem to diminish as his control over his body increased overtime. Nidoking stomped his heavy feet on the ground as he lumbered, his newly found power over the earth sending tremors throughout the grasslands alongside the ear shattering bellows that burst from his throat whenever a new "opponent" aggravated his unstable mind.

Unknowing to him, however, the way he was headed was bound to offer him a target to let his pent up energy loose. Nidoking's wrath quickly led him towards the forest of thorned shrubs and trees by the edge of the grasslands territory, a location usually avoided due to its natural hazards and its leader's eager disposition to kick troublemakers out.

With his armored hide, Nidoking was undeterred as he thrashed against the thorns, tearing through the vegetation with his dull claws as his sensitive ears and nose picked the presence of multiple pokemon within the forest, warning him to leave. But he wouldn't. No small thing would tell him what to do. No forest would stay in the way. He would keep fighting, until he collapsed.

Nidoking charged through the forest with minor scratches to his armor, stumbling into a stop once the maze of thorns finally gave away into clear space. The purple beast regarded the area with a growl, nostrils flaring.

The large clearing was a wide open grass field surrounded by the thorned trees, a thin stream cutting the area in half. A humungous tree marked the very center of the garden, and behind its thick roots were several bulbasaur fearfully staring at the invader, guarded by three furious ivysaur. The small forest dwellers growled out warnings to the purple monarch, several pairs of vines stretched out as a way to make them bigger and more menacing.

The beast was undeterred, snorting petulantly while stomping towards the herd with poison dripping from his horn, ready to pulverize these weaklings.

Nidoking's advances were cut short when a deep roar sliced through the tense silence of the clearing, followed by a series of heavy stomps as the creature inside the hollowed base of the tree walked outside.

The massive venusaur that came out growled menacingly at the purple monarch, a deep rumble that seemed to shake the very core of every pokemon present. Even if the dull grey skin covered in a multitude of warts and the tattered bulb on his back indicated this particular monster was of quite old age, his sheer size and presence made him no less intimidating and regal to the average pokemon.

The leader of the forest growled again as his bulb abruptly split into four vast leaves that fell away to reveal a massive pink flower faintly glowing under the sunlight, a sweet aroma filling the air as the grass type stepped in between Nidoking and the bulbasaur family.

Venusaur regarded the intruder with cold, analytic eyes, a deep growl rumbling within his throat as he heavily stepped forwards, the ground lightly shaking under his weight as the forest around seemed to tremble.

Nidoking didn't look intimidated, responding with a furious roar and a stronger earthquake before lowering the lance that was his horn, muscles tensing up. Within seconds, the monarch crushed the ground with his tail and took off, snarling as he charged towards Venusaur with deceiving speed, ready to gut his powerful opponent.

The bulbasaur croaked out desperate warnings once their leader didn't move to avoid the surely fatal strike, but Venusaur ignored them as he lowered his massive flower and let loose a torrent of sharp petals that reshaped into a twirling vortex that engulfed the charging Nidoking and sent him stumbling with a surprised snarl.

The grass type followed up by sprouting a dozen of vines from his flower and lashing out, several whipping all over Nidoking's hide while others tried to wrap around him. The purple beast was undeterred, however, as he flexed his bulk and snapped off the restraining appendages before spitting out a volley of poisonous needles at his opponent and slamming his tail on the ground while tapping into his earth affinity.

The barbs bounced off Venusaur's thick hide, but the leader bellowed in surprise as the grass beneath him suddenly erupted upwards and a surge of energy struck his abdomen powerfully, causing the massive frog to nearly topple over before dozens of vines lashed out to recompose him and drop him back on the ground with a pained grunt.

Nidoking took the distraction to barrell forwards with a roar and ram the grass type viciously, snarling as he grappled with Venusaur and raked his claws along his opponent's body, though the grass type growled and met his efforts with equal force of his head and legs, causing a stalemate. Both poisonous beasts growled and hissed at each other as they ground against each other for dominance, the ground spluttering under their shared weight.

Nidoking seemed to realise the ineffectiveness of the situation and reared back to lower his horn, before jabbing it forwards in an attempt to stab Venusaur. He snarled in frustration as more vines gripped his horn and jerked his head away, causing his head to glance against his opponent's hide hadmlessly. The grass type proceeded to fire off a sideway volley or razor sharp leaves at his opponent's flank, sending him tumbling away.

The attack promptly backfired as the monarch whipped around to swing his tail and smash it violently across Venusaur's face, the force enough to dislocate the grass type's jaw and knock his enormous body several feet away, the ground cracking under the impact.

As Venusaur shakily moved to stand, Nidoking charged forwards once more and struck the grass type headfirst, stabbing his horn straight into Venusaur's vulnerable side and sinking the lance down to the shaft with a snarl.

The grass type's deafening bellow of pain shook the world as the horn got through hid thick layers of fat and penetrated tissue, jerking violently in a desperate attempt to dislodge the vicious beast while lashing out with desperate vine whips.

Nidoking grunted underneath the assault, the limits to his endurance tested by the continuous hammering of the thick vines. He kept pumping poison into his enemy's system, snarling ferociously while tearing into Venusaur's skin and pushing forwards through the pain. In his frenzy, he failed to realise the poison would do little to nothing to the plant behemoth.

Venusaur finally seemed to snap back to his sense after the initial shock and ensnared Nidoking with his vines, wrapping around the monster's shoulders and pulling him backwards while Venusaur himself stumbled away to the opposite side.

The purple monarch gasped from the sudden jerk, forced backwards and having to slam a foot on the grass to steady himself and trigger another earthquake at the same time, but his opponent had already managed to crawl away.

Venusaur growled as he used a vine to clutch his wounded hide, blood seeping out of the wound with a light sickening green surrounding it, indicating the poison's limited effects on his system. The grass type bared his fangs as Nidoking fired off more barbs, easily deflecting them with a petal vortex before sending it towards his opponent.

Nidoking just shook off the damage, panting midst growls while glaring at the grass type in fury, though his bloodlust was slowly fading away the more he spent energy in the fight, his eyes occasionally glowing with evolutionary light.

Venusaur caught onto that detail and rumbled in thought, firing off more sharp leaves that were easily deflected by a tail swing, before beginning to gather sunlight within his flower, the petals shimmering a light yellow as the grass type charged up an attack that was sure to do the job. He dug his feet into the ground for better leverage, sucking in the sunlight.

Nidoking's eyes widened as he realised what was about to unfold, snarling as he stomped a foot on the and caused the ground under his opponent to crumble. The grass type croaked in surprise when he was abruptly dropped into a crater and landed on his jaw, forced to hold back the stored energy from spewing out while stumbling to his feet with a growl.

Nidoking took the opportunity to charge forwards and leap into the crater, snarling as he crashed down on his opponent with two powerful kicks, slamming them into the frsgilised ground before fiercely grappling with Venusaur and sinking his claws wherever her could find flesh.

Venusaur roared as the purple monarch assaulted him, stumbling into the crater's side and crumbling into the ground before starting to viciously shake his body, sending more and more petals to try dislodging his enemy as he held the solar energy in.

Nidoking replied by firing off a volley of barbs at the flower, earning pained bellows as leaves and petals were stung. The beast scraped Venusaur's hide furiously, hammering down a balled claw into his opponent's skull and nearly toppling him over.

Unfortunately for him, the sudden impact angled the shining flower towards him.

Venusaur let go.

Nidoking realised his mistake too late as the pent up energy erupted from the flower's core into a blinding blast of searing solar power, striking his chest violently with enough force to send him flying over the edge of the crater and land heavily, groaning in pain as his badly burned chest fumed.

Venusaur shakily crawled out of the crevasse with pained growls, panting heavily as he glared at the fallen Nidoking and flared his nostrils, finally ready to finish the task.

As the purple beast tried to regain his bearings, Venusaur suddenly shook and released a cloud of debilitating spores into the air, before lashing out with his few vines left to secure his opponent in place. Nidoking grunted and feebly struggled, glaring up at the falling spores with a furious snort before they landed on him.

The monarch's furious sounds devolved into surprised and pained grunts as the cloud landed on him, quickly feeling his eyes droop under the effect of the spores and his muscles cramping up. Nidoking groaned as he stumbled back into the ground and stared up at the sky with hazy eyes, the evolutionary glow dimmer as his will to fight decreased.

The exhausted grass type sighed in relief as he leered down at his opponent and shut his eyes, willing the forest to move with his command. His affinity with the green stirred the grass around them, prompting thin roots from his enormous tree to slither out of the ground like worms and slowly tangle around Nidoking's barely conscious figure, earning soft growls from the monarch as they wrapped his limbs and torso in a surprisingly gentle embrace.

The roots shimmered a light green as Venusaur prompted them to sap into the beast's overflowing evolutionary energy, causing Nidoking to whimper and stir while his stamina was drained away. The monarch slowly relaxed after a few seconds, however, feeling his hazy mind clearing as the excessive power surge left his system and was replaced by utter exhaustion.

Nidoking glanced over at Venusaur and rumbled a quiet note of grattitude for stopping his rage, before whining a brief apology and finally slipping into the much needed relief of unconsciousness.

Venusaur untangled the monarch from his bindings after making sure he wouldn't cause any more trouble, sighing in relief while letting the roots back underground and starting a strained walk back towards the comforting silence of his tree. The grass leader smiled as the bulbasaur colony swarmed all over him in joy, bouncing and scratching his legs with squeaky congratulations and invitations to play.

The elder was having none of it, growling quietly to disperse the youngsters while staggering into his tree, giving the ivysaur sentinels orders to deposit Nidoking back in the grasslands and ensure his safety before returning. For now they both needed to rest.

Venusaur limped into the hollowed tree base and collapsed on his sleeping spot, letting the soothing influence of the green tend to his injuries as he finally slipped back into his slumber.


End file.
